NEWS DESK
There are lots of things happening in the village so please see the Events and Activities page.
Introduction of Voter ID
|
District and Parish Elections May 2023
The District, Town and Parish Councils elections will be held on 4 May 2023.
Briefing sessions for prospective candidates and election agents are going to be held on the following dates:
Wednesday, 22 February 2023 at 12.30pm to 1.30pm – TEAMS meeting
Thursday, 23 February 2023 at 5.30pm to 6.30pm – TEAMS meeting
Monday, 6 March 2023 at 2pm to 3pm – Kingswood Council Chamber
Thursday, 9 March 2023 at 4pm to 5pm – Kingswood Council Chamber
The sessions will cover:
- Election timetable
- nomination papers – common errors and how to avoid them,
- appointments for delivery times and process for informal checks
- summary of the process if validly nominated and
- a brief outline of legislative changes for the May elections
To attend one of the sessions, please email; elections@southglos.gov.uk
Further sessions for election agents and candidates are scheduled for after close of nominations for detailed information of the election processes and key events.
Electoral Services
Resources and Business Change
Tel: 01454 863030
Postal Address: South Gloucestershire Council, Electoral Services, PO Box 1953, Bristol, BS37 0DB
Job vacancy - Parish Clerk
Charfield Station
Dear Community Engagement Forum Members, SGC Councillors, Town and Parish Clerks and their Councillors,
We are pleased to announce plans for a train station in Charfield have been granted planning consent.
The new station will be located adjacent to the former station site off Station Road and will include two platforms serving north and southbound journeys, a pedestrian footbridge, a bus stop, covered cycle parking, and car parking.
A new station in Charfield will:
- improve access to jobs, education and a range of services and facilities
- have at least one train every hour in each direction
- help reduce congestion on key roads
- support the recovery of the wider economy
- improve transport links to Bristol North Fringe, Bristol City Centre, Filton Enterprise Area, Temple Quay Enterprise Zone, Yate and Gloucester
- help achieve carbon neutrality in our area by 2030
Now planning permission has been secured work will progress on detailed designs for the station and highways improvements. Once these are complete a full business case and a request for funding will be submitted to the West of England Combined Authority.
A new project programme will be shared later in the year.
Further information
For updates on the project please sign up to our project newsletter, which you can do by visiting our webpage. This newsletter will be used to update residents and other stakeholders on the project as it progresses.
We would also encourage you to like and follow the council’s Facebook page or Twitter account.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with the project team via CharfieldStation@southglos.gov.uk
Four Towns trips during March
Shepperdine Road - Temporary Road Closure
Community Transport
BOOKING HOTLINE: 01454 250500
Monday 6th February:
The Fox – Easter Compton
11:30 – 13:30
£5.00
Tuesday 7th February:
Highfield Garden World – Whitminster
10:30 – 13:30
£7.00
Monday 13th February:
Yate Shopping Centre
10:30 – 13:30
£7.00
Tuesday 14th February:
The Rose & Crown – Rangeworthy
11:30 – 13:30
£5.00
Monday 20th February
The Badminton Arms Carvery – Coalpit Heath
11:30 – 13:30
£7.00
Tuesday 21st February
Dobbies Garden Centre – Thornbury
10:30 – 13:30
£5.00
Monday 27th February
The Swan Nibley
11:30 – 13:30
£7.00
Tuesday 28th February
The Royal George – Thornbury
11:30 – 13:30
£5.00
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
* Bookings are subject to availability & government guidelines
* Cancellation may incur a fee
* Costs are per member and for travel only
Local and Financial Support
Featherbed Lane - Temporary Road Closure
Kington Road - Temporary Road Closure
Know Your Place and the Community Layer
Financial Support for Pension-age Residents
Green Space for Everyone
We developed a Green Infrastructure Strategy in 2021. Part of that was an Equalities Impact Assessment to think about how different people have different experiences of green space.
We don’t know enough about how you use and think about green spaces so we want to ask some questions.
Result of Referendum
Bristol Eye Can Exibition
Sight loss charities create a new service for blind and partially sighted people – the Eye Can exhibition.
Sight Support West of England and partner charity Wiltshire Sight are delighted to announce a new service for the blind and partially sighted community. They will be organising four large ‘Eye Can’ exhibitions in key locations – Bristol, Bath, Salisbury and Swindon. Each exhibition is a free event bringing together many leading sight loss organisations.
The first exhibition will be held in Bristol on the 16th of March between 10 am and 4.30 pm, at the Memorial Stadium. These free public exhibitions are designed to provide an opportunity for blind and partially sighted people, along with their family and friends, to meet national and local product suppliers, opportunity providers and service providers. Each exhibition will have around 30 exhibitors covering a range of interest areas. These include technology, sport and leisure, work and employment, health and wellbeing as well as young people and families. Each Eye Can exhibition will also feature a series of talks covering a wide range of interesting topics related to sight loss. The speakers will vary at each event.
Chief Executive of Sight Support West Mike Silvey said, ‘we believe having a wide range of suppliers and advice on offer under one roof will give our clients an excellent opportunity to see what can be achieved with the right solutions in place. With all the major suppliers set to be a part of the event, it is not to be missed’.
Sight Support West of England is a charity based in Bristol, and Wiltshire Sight are based in Devizes. They are both dedicated to enhancing the lives of people who are blind or partially sighted. There are estimated to be over 53,000 people living with sight loss in the areas covered by both charities (Bristol, Bath & NE Somerset, South Glos and Wiltshire and Swindon). Without the work of charities like Sight Support and Wiltshire Sight, blind and partially sighted people would not have access to vital support which can help them to live fulfilling and independent lives. The services both charities offer are wide and varied and can help people with issues faced daily when living with sight loss. Whether it is a visit to the Resource Centers for technology training, a chat at one of the community hubs to check out the latest daily living aids, or attending one of the charities Coffee & Convo events to meet new friends, Sight Support and Wiltshire Sight have the means to help anyone with sight loss regain or indeed retain independence. The addition of the exhibitions to their range of services means more people than ever can have access to information about how the difficulties of living with sight loss can be addressed.
Sight Support and Wiltshire Sight are very grateful to their headline sponsors for the 2022 Eye Can exhibitions –
Optelec – ‘Leaders in low vision magnification’,
Newmedica – Eye Health Clinics and
Irwin Mitchell – Solicitors
Event sponsor Optelec said ‘We are very proud to be teaming up with Sight Support for this and future exhibitions. We see it as an amazing way for people to learn about available support and how confidence can be built with the help of all the wonderful services on offer’.
This year’s Bristol Eye Can Exhibition will take place
At: the Memorial Stadium, Bristol, Filton Avenue, Horfield, BS7 0BF.
On: the 16th of March, from 10.00 am to 4.30 pm.
Entry is free, registration is advised to ensure you receive a goody bag.
To book your place or for more information please call Sight Support West of England on 0117 322 4885, or visit our website at www.sightsupportwest.org.uk/services/events-and-exhibitions/
introductory meeting) and they’ll be joined by our friendly Bristol volunteers and some other newbies from North Somerset. We don’t expect any experience of commissioning, just an understanding of their local area and a passion for community action. Could you kindly share the attached Jpeg titled ‘panel member advert’ with any relevant local contacts?
Once we have awarded the first round of funding, I’ll be in touch with you to let you know if any of the funded activities are happening in your area so that you can help spread the word to older people who might like to get involved.
A new survey from Avon Fire & Rescue
Dear Sir/Madam,
As you serve our communities as a part of your Parish Council, we thought you might like to read about our proposals for our latest Service Plan, and encourage local residents to do the same by filling out our online survey, available to all local people to complete.
Our seven-week public consultation on our Service Plan Proposals 2022–25 will run until 18 February.
The Proposals outline our vision for the future of Avon Fire & Rescue Service in preventing, protecting and responding to the fire and rescue related risks and needs of our local communities.
We believe our Service Plan Proposals consider a robust strategic risk profile of our operational area up until 2025, aligned to the changing environment and demanding financial and political climate we continue to face. We need your help! We want the views of our communities and kindly ask you to read our draft proposals and tell us what you think about it by completing a survey.
The online consultation survey, where you can also download and read our Service Plan Proposals 2022–25, can be accessed here: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/W2VL9LG. Alternatively, if you need the proposals or consultation in another format please call 0117 926 2061 or email Consultation@avonfire.gov.uk.
Mick Crennell, Chief Fire Officer for AF&RS said: “Avon Fire & Rescue Service exists to serve our local communities and everything we do is aimed at making our area a better place for all who live and work here. We are asking for local people’s views on our proposed commitments to keep our local communities safe and our plans to match our resources to manage, prevent and protect the public from identified risks.
“The proposals and any feedback you provide will then inform our Service Plan, which is our contract with our staff, our partners and the local communities we serve, to the service we’ll work to achieve over the next five years. If you agree with our planning approach and the priorities we’ve outlined, we want to hear from you. If you disagree or feel something has been overlooked, tell us, we want to hear from you. Have your say on the future of your fire service now.”
Together through the commitments laid out within these proposals, we will continue to work together to make our communities safer and make our Service stronger.
We welcome your views on our proposals and look forward to hearing from you.
Volunteer drivers wanted
Temporary Power Station Road closures
South Gloucestershire - Works4Youth
South Gloucestershire - Free Business Support
Free business training and advice to help your business start, grow and thrive.
CrimeStoppers campaign
CrimeStoppers have announced a new campaign to fight rural crime. Full details can be found at:
Rural crime | Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org)
A new poster and an accompanying leaflet are now available to download.
